Submissions are now open for BLACK POWER: The Superhero Anthology!

Stories of superheroes in film and comic books capture essential truths about human nature. We relate to – and identify with – the characters and themes in these stories; we empathize with the dilemmas and problems that superheroes face, and we admire – and often mimic – their heroic acts.

The definition of a hero is someone who rises above his or her fears and limitations to achieve something extraordinary. A hero embodies what we believe is best in ourselves.

The clearest difference between a hero and what we tend to consider a superhero is that superheroes possess fantastic powers, fight their battles with advanced technology, or possess uncanny beauty, bravery, skill, or luck.

No costume is necessary; but it is cool.

We – Black / Afrikan adults AND youth – need our stories told; and WE need to tell them. We need to read about and see ourselves as superheroes from OUR perspective. We need and want this.

We at Roaring Lions Productions are going to meet that need. Following the worldwide release of the Rococoa anthology in February, 2016, we will release Black Power: The Superhero Anthology in December, 2016!

What We Are Looking For

When it comes to superheroes, we think of sweeping themes that deal with the central issues of heroism and, of course, superpowers. We welcome authors to subvert these tropes, to expand upon what “superhero” means, and to mash-up the superhero tropes with the tropes of other genres under the Speculative Fiction umbrella.

We seek original stories with more depth than simple origin tales or superhero-versus-supervillain battles. Who are these people who have strange and wonderful powers and choose to use them to exact justice? What makes them tick?

We must emphasize that your characters should be original creations. We will not consider work utilizing licensed characters or knockoffs of licensed characters unless your story is clearly a parody or spoof.

Rules

The main character in your story must be Black / of Afrikan descent. The character can be from the continent of Afrika or anywhere in the Diaspora.

The characters can be of any age.

If your story is about a superhero team, the team members should be majority Black / Afrikan descent.

Length: 1500-10000 words. This is firm.

Payment: $25.00 per story.

Type of submissions accepted: Electronic only.

Reprints? No

Multiple Submissions? No

Simultaneous Submissions? Yes

Submissions close: June 30, 2016. This is firm, as each story will have original artwork attached and the artists need time to do the illustrations.

Response time after submission of story: 4 weeks or sooner.

Publication date: December, 2016.

Submission Requirements

Failure to follow these requirements pretty much guarantees your work will be rejected.

1.  Email your submissions to blackscififantasy@gmail.com. Put in the subject line: Black Superhero. Give us a short summary of your story in the email body (no more than two or three sentences) and a short summary of who you are (previous publishing credits, etc.). Include your word count in the email.
2.  Send in .doc, .docx, or .rtf formats only.
3.  Your manuscript should follow standard formatting protocol. Times New Roman or Courier fonts only. Please ensure your story is free from typos, spelling and grammatical errors.

Good luck! We look forward to seeing what you have for us!

For more information, visit http://chroniclesofharriet.com/2015/12/10/superhero-anthology/